Recent content by Zenbirder

That is really a good bit of information Pat! I will research it thoroughly. In particular, we are at altitude, so I really need to go overboard on canning time.

Our local store has garlic bulbs 6/$1. I am thinking about roasting a bunch and then pressure canning them in half pints. Has anyone else done this, recipes, hints? We eat a lot of garlic as is, and I am always looking for more ways to enjoy it. I figure if DH and I both have strong garlic...

:love Thanks everyone for the nice compliments! I learned basket making from an elderly relative. I do think it would help anyone starting out to take a class or do the first couple with someone who knows how. Some of the baskets are not all that easy, I have seen people in classes give up...

May I recommend: Safety equipment. I make Dh wear chainsaw chaps, steel toed boots and safety glasses. He grumbles, but obeys.

I piled just a few of my baskets around the rocking chair. The center one on the seat has my handmade wire beaded flowers, above it is a divided basket for tools. The right arm has a cat's head basket, that takes a lot of hand strength to mold the reeds. The blue on the seat to the left is my...

I took DH to see a new doctor yesterday, and I think we will go back to him when necessary. DH has had neck pain, the doctor went over all the tests, showing arthritis and degeneration, and prescribed: MASSAGE! He showed me which muscles needed to be worked on and encouraged me to learn and...

I have made all my own baskets for years, it is a wonderful feeling to me to use my baskets. The most used is the egg basket. Unfortunately it is wearing out! It will also be too small for next year, so making a new one is on my list. My garden basket also needs to be remade, the big handle...

Literally everywhere in town, no one has it till spring. I'm in the backwoods here.

According to the book: 1. Gypsum improves the physical structure of the compost by causing aggregation of colloidal particles. This produces a more granular, open structure which results in larger air spaces and improved aeration. 2. To increase water holding capacity, while decreasing the...

I am only sort-of-well-read about the portobello and white button mushrooms. For those types, do not inoculate the compost right away! A few thoughts for now: 1. The mushrooms actually live off of the bacteria bodies that did the composting. Composting produces ammonia that is toxic to the...

Karen, I do think I come across as too harsh at times. Others have said it too and I will work on it. I really get frustrated by people that I come into physical contact with. I went to get bananas today and the lady ahead of me was getting a Coke with her food stamp card, and the vodka to go...

Sorry, I really didn't mean it that way. I was really talking about my family and friends who don't have a SS leaning bone in their bodies. The people I see here are the striving ones.

My first ever mushroom harvest :woot :woot :woot I picked 5 portabellas that collectively weighed in over one pound! We had a couple for dinner, broiled and stuffed. The largest was a bit over five inches across. I am actively working on an appropriate compost to keep the fungi going after...

Natalie, We don't have a Starbucks within a hundred miles or I would be begging for coffee grounds from them! Our soil is too basic and the coffee grounds are a great way to add acidity as well as organic matter. For the small amount of coffee we drink, I save all the grounds for mixing into...

Keljonma, I have never seen this recipe, you rock! I love that we can adapt. And yes, forbidden for kids usually means rebellion. Unfortunately, what I see around me in people's lives is that fast food and junk food are the norm, not the exceptional meal. People I know in my extended family...